The initial skirmish between Espurr and Abomasnow had been a grind, draining energy more than causing direct harm.
Thanks to the tactical clock management Chansey had orchestrated earlier, Espurr had been able to recover fully on the sideline, refreshed and ready for her next turn.
Absol, however, hadn't been nearly as lucky. He was dealing with a significant loss of stamina, compounded by accumulated bumps and bruises. Even with a short rest, Candice's next order reminded him of his harsh reality.
As the Hail spread its icy grip across the battlefield once more, Absol's recently restored energy immediately began to drain away. The weary Pokémon stood in the brutal, freezing wind, his gaze fixed on the floating Espurr before him, her form flickering like a pale illusion through the thickening snow.
"Absol, Swords Dance."
Candice knew Absol was running on fumes. If he was to be useful, he needed to land a devastating blow on Espurr and completely shatter Luther's pace.
"Thunderbolt."
Espurr's powerful attack missed its mark. After all, Absol had trained and battled in this icy arena countless times. Even exhausted, his body remembered the necessary micro-adjustments to use the slick terrain to his advantage.
Digging in his forepaws and giving a sharp, skillful twist, Absol skated along the slick ice, smoothly sliding into a perfect attacking position.
"Bite!"
He clawed violently at the ice to get leverage, using the burst of friction to spring himself into the air, jaws snapping wide as he lunged at Espurr mid-air.
"Protect!"
With Swords Dance boosting his power and Bite being super effective, Espurr wouldn't survive a direct hit. Seeing Luther instantly order the defensive move, Candice's expression relaxed into a small, satisfied nod.
The attack hadn't connected, but that was secondary. The reveal was what she wanted.
As a lead Pokémon, Espurr was guaranteed to have a few disruptive tricks. Luther had clearly been holding back her full move set, waiting for a surprise. Now, with Absol on his last legs, Candice had successfully baited out Espurr's final move slot, and it was just a defensive one. That knowledge alone was a small victory worth Absol's remaining effort.
Absol was blasted backward by the invisible force of the Protect barrier. The falling snow hardened into larger chunks of hail, aggressively pelting the entire field.
A fresh surge of pain flashed through Absol's body, and his vision briefly blurred.
A bright flash erupted from Espurr's side, and before the dazed Absol could even react, he was struck by a powerful Thunderbolt.
Candice stood quietly as the referee announced Absol was unable to continue. She recalled him with a heavy but respectful look and handed his Poké Ball to a waiting Delibird for immediate care.
The first Pokémon to fall in this tense, back-and-forth contest belonged to Candice, despite the fact that she had held the crucial weather advantage multiple times throughout the duel.
In the stands, the students from the Pokémon Trainer Academy erupted in applause for Luther. Even with their textbook knowledge and limited battle experience, they could still appreciate the strategic depth and timing in this tug-of-war.
For some reason, hearing the crowd cheer so loudly for Luther made Mai feel an unexpected warmth and pride.
Candice's blood was pumping hard. In this quiet, remote Snowpoint City, a place where serious challengers were a rarity, it had been a long, long time since a battle made her heart race with such excitement.
"My turn to strike back and seize the tempo. Let's reclaim the rhythm, Froslass!"
"Froslass, the Snow Land Pokémon," Luther's Pokédex helpfully announced. "The evolved form of Snorunt. In snowy regions, legends say it's the spirit of a woman who perished in the mountains."
Luther watched the faint, ghostly figure of Froslass materialize within the snowstorm and instinctively scanned her. Ice and Ghost type. And as expected, Snow Cloak Ability.
Espurr tensed, watching Froslass flicker in and out of visibility before her, appearing one second, vanishing into the storm the next. Her ghostly, ethereal presence made Espurr visibly nervous.
Unlike in the games, where it simply boosted evasion, in a real fight, Snow Cloak added intense psychological pressure. Froslass didn't even need to move much; Espurr was already working overtime just to pinpoint her location.
"Strike first! Thunderbolt!"
With all of Espurr's current moves now revealed, Luther had only two offensive options left. Even though Shadow Ball would have been super effective, he chose Thunderbolt instead.
He was gambling on paralysis to slow down her ghostly opponent!
The Thunderbolt seemed to hit Froslass, but it passed straight through her body, vanishing harmlessly into the swirling snow beyond.
"Shadow Ball!"
Froslass suddenly materialized from behind Espurr, slipping through the storm like a true phantom. Her ghostly movements were utterly terrifying.
Espurr sensed the immediate threat and spun around, only to find Froslass's cold, unblinking face mere inches away. She let out a small, terrified yelp.
Protect flared up just in time to block the attack, but Froslass was already gathering energy, a close-range Blizzard, powered by the active weather.
At this distance, dodging was almost impossible. Using Protect again was too risky due to the low success rate and would drain Espurr's stamina too much. Luther frowned and decided to meet the attack head-on.
Shadow Ball and Blizzard collided midair, exploding into a blinding storm of icy shards. Espurr shielded her face against the flying ice, struggling to maintain visibility in the roaring wind.
Froslass, however, moved through the chaotic storm completely unfazed, and launched another quick Shadow Ball.
Espurr reacted quickly, but not fast enough, the attack slammed into her body, knocking her down hard onto the icy floor.
That was the devastating power of Froslass under her own weather, an advantage Luther couldn't easily offset. Hidden movement, seamless attacks, a perfect flow with her Ability… Froslass was fighting like a spirit born of the snow itself.
"Espurr, return!"
Espurr withdrew from the field once again, this time, looking far worse than before. The accumulated damage from the hail and the Ghost-type attack had left her panting, her pale fur matted with tiny shards of ice.
Chansey was called upon once more to take the field.
However, just as Luther made his switch, Candice made a change as well.
Froslass was recalled, and in her place, the battlefield shuddered under the immense bulk of Mamoswine.
"Mamoswine, the Twin Tusk Pokémon," the automated voice of the Pokédex chimed in. "It is said to have existed since ancient times, fossils have even been found frozen in ice over ten thousand years old."
Luther looked up at Candice, who met his gaze with a knowing, determined smile.
Candice had learned her lesson quickly. If clinging too tightly to information had given Luther the opening to take down Absol, then this time, she would loosen up, she would play freely and aggressively, not defensively.
Her first goal was now laser-focused: eliminate Luther's rhythm keeper, the maddeningly resilient Chansey.
The massive Mamoswine faced off against the comparatively tiny Chansey, the size difference alone making the pairing striking.
Luther knew instantly: Candice had found Chansey's single greatest weakness.
Raw power.
In a pure contest of brute strength, Chansey was at a devastating disadvantage.
Like Froslass, Mamoswine's Snow Cloak made it difficult for opponents to pinpoint its exact location through the churning snow. And unlike the sharp-sensed Espurr, Chansey lacked the same finely tuned perception.
From within the storm, Mamoswine suddenly burst out, its massive head lowered, Ice Fang flashing.
The bite landed cleanly, hitting with far greater force than Absol's earlier attempts. Chansey let out a suppressed cry of pain, but grit her teeth and immediately retaliated with a desperate Fire Punch straight to Mamoswine's head.
But Candice, remembering the burning fate of Abomasnow, instantly commanded, "Let go! Back off and use Blizzard!"
The powerful Blizzard immediately obscured Chansey's vision, forcing her to abandon the chase and retreat to the small patch of solid footing she had created earlier.
"Soft-Boiled."
Seeing Chansey's accumulated damage reach a dangerous threshold, Luther immediately had her heal.
(To Be Continued…)
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